Fayetteville’s Wood Iron Eatery offers adventurous bites with big flavors.
written by FOOD EDITOR STEVEN KEITH
photographed by NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS
Tennyson Winters’ journey to becoming a successful head cook and restaurant owner took several twists and turns along the way. He wasn’t deterred, though, because a love for the outdoors taught him that following an uncertain, winding path can often lead to big rewards.
In this case, it led him to an old white house perched above the charming town of Fayetteville. That’s where the Wood Iron Eatery he now owns with wife, Katie Jenkins, serves up American diner food featuring “chef-minded flavors” in a “historic, funky ambience.” It’s a concept Winters is proud of, so you’ll also hear him drop phrases like “handmade,” “mouthwatering,” and “soul-pleasing” to describe the food that awaits guests who make their own journey up the grassy knoll to Wood Iron.
Winters says his life in the restaurant business started with work in a cafe through college, continued with casual bartending and serving through the years, then led to him becoming more “kitchen-ambitious” through his love of exploring the great outdoors. What pairs well with big adventures? Big flavors.
“After being delighted with Fayetteville and living here for nearly 10 years, we started The Lab Appalachia, a peculiar little co-working space in town,” he says. It was there where his idea to run a bar and restaurant was born. “So The Lab eventually became a part of Wood Iron Eatery—which had been under different ownership—as both businesses merged into one open location with twice the space.”
The original Wood Iron Eatery was founded by celebrated chef Jeffrey Toth in 2018, and Winters and Jenkins are excited to now carry its torch. It’s a light that shines bright thanks to a popular menu of breakfast, lunch, and baked goods, plus dinner on Friday and Saturday nights, with a large outdoor beer garden and an espresso bar for good measure. And the coffee, folks say, is very, very good.
Breakfast options include the Big Burrito, three eggs with honey-roasted ham, cheddar, hash browns, and sriracha cream—which you can spike or sub with sausage, bacon, or chicken—and Loaded Napoleon Tots, with avocado, green onion, chili aioli, candied bacon, and sour cream.
There’s also the Handheld, a soft-yolk egg sandwich with housemade fennel sausage, cheese, and hot pepper jelly on an English muffin; house granola with almonds, cashews, chia, coconut, pecan, oats, and brown sugar over yogurt with bananas, berries, and cayenne honey; waffles with honeycomb butter and maple drizzle in various combinations; and a tofu scramble with turmeric, tomato, caramelized onion, pickled Fresno chilies, scallions, and salsa verde with toast.
If you need help choosing, Winters has your back.
“That burrito reigns supreme, but the tofu scramble and Loaded Napoleon Tots are all favorites,” he suggests. “The egg sandwich is my personal favorite, with the spicy pepper jelly and fennel sausage. The waffle is great, too, no question.”
You’ll be tempted to come back for lunch a few hours later for a house-blend Smash Burger with “secret sauce,” the Crispy Rockfish wild Alaska pollock sandwich with housemade lemon tartar on brioche, the OG Chicken Sandwich with pickled Fresnos and sriracha ranch, or a BLAT sammy with candied bacon, lettuce, avocado, and mayo.
Wood Iron Eatery’s weekend evening crowds have been strong and are expected to get even bigger in the coming months.
“This year, we’ll have a new dinner menu, extended weekend hours, and more musical events than ever,” Winters promises. “We have a huge beer garden with local beer on draft, along with indulgent craft cocktails. And, of course, there’s always great coffee.”
129 South Court Street, Fayetteville, woodironeatery.com, @woodironeatery on FB
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM SPRING 2024
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